City Of Beaverton: Beaverton Hires Kurt Wilson As City's First Interim City Manager

Press release from the City of Beaverton:

December 14, 2020

BEAVERTON, Ore. – The Beaverton City Council has appointed Kurt Wilson as the city’s first Interim City Manager and newest member of Beaverton’s management team.

Wilson most recently served the City of Stockton, California, first as the Deputy City Manager and then as the City Manager. His local government employment began in 2006 with the City of San Bernardino, California as the Director of the Office of Community Safety and Violence Prevention.

He then transitioned to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, where he served as the Chief of External Affairs and then the Executive Director of the Correction Standards Authority. His first City Manager role was with the City of Ridgecrest, California. Wilson has also served as an elected city councilor, Mayor pro-tem and commissioner.

Hiring of an Interim City Manager is a next step in implementation of Beaverton’s new city charter that was approved by voters in May 2020 and becomes operational January 1, 2021.

“We are pleased to welcome Kurt to Beaverton,” said City Councilor Mark Fagin. “This is a significant time of change for our city and we are committed to proceeding in a thoughtful and deliberate manner.”

The appointment follows a rigorous recruitment process that included community input and was facilitated with support from an external search firm.

The Interim City Manager will support the transition to the new city charter and the recruitment, selection and early onboarding of a long term City Manager.

“As someone who has worked as an elected official and as a city manager, I am familiar with the benefits, challenges, and opportunities of a council-manager form of government,” said Kurt Wilson. “I’m honored to serve in this transitional role so I can be part of a team that will continue to deliver strong results and allow others to share my excitement for this historic change.”

Beaverton’s new charter changes the city’s structure from a mayor-council to a council-manager form of government. The appointment of a long term City Manager is expected to be completed in the first half of next year after community engagement. The City Manager will report to the Beaverton City Council, as well as provide administrative direction, support to city initiatives and leadership to all city departments.

The new charter also expands the existing City Council by adding a full-time mayor and part-time city councilor, implements term limits and updates language references. For more information about the new charter, visit www.BeavertonOregon.gov/Charter.

Wilson is expected to begin the Interim City Manager position on December 15 and will serve in the role for approximately six months.

This press release was produced by the City of Beaverton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.